How To Find True Happiness
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How do we go about enhancing happiness and pursuing it whole year round? We know happiness is far more than just money, fame, or power. Many people have all three but are not completely happy. What are the secrets to long-lasting happiness?

According to Margaret Bonnano, “It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis.” If we want happiness all year round, we have to start small by having a good day every day. Small efforts build up through the day. Norman Lear teaches us, "Life is made up of small pleasures. Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones come too infrequently. And if you don't collect all these tiny successes, the big ones don't really mean anything."

How do we accomplish this? There is a simple way that we can do at the start of our day. As we wake up each morning, we decide that our day will be as happy and stress-free as we hope it would be. The first thing to do is we ask ourselves, “What do I wish for today?” Feel the desire and then remember that whatever we wished for, we will surely get it as long as we try to make it happen. Ask from God/the Universe and we can never go wrong.

Ever considered using a boomerang to explain how to spread more happiness?

The Boomerang Principle is based on the idea that a smile is always returned. Try doing this activity on a busy location. Establish eye contact with a person (choose non-aggressive persons!) and just flash those pearly whites. Most of the time, that person will smile back.

There is wisdom in smiling. Smiling always stirs pleasant feelings. A simple smile effectively communicates our happiness to others. It also makes people to feel good about themselves and encourages them spread the pleasant feeling. Rabbi Nachman puts it this way, “Always wear a smile. The gift of life will then be yours to give.”

Everybody wants to love and be loved by others. If we want to have a happy and harmonious home life, we have to get along well with the people around us and earn their trust and respect.

We can get involved in social and community affairs, and this can result in having happy interactions with other people. Making a difference in the lives of people, who are virtual strangers, can give us a deep feeling of happiness. We can do this by volunteering our time, effort, and money in various causes.

Work does not seem a burden when we are having fun. Working, while having fun, is most rewarding. If we love what we do, it will not feel like we are working at all. If we are not satisfied with our job, we look for more interesting and challenging work. Of course, we all want to make a good living but more than that, we truly have to enjoy our occupation or profession to be able to do it on a sustained basis.

Research findings from the Claremont Graduate University pointed out, “Life satisfaction occurs most often when people are engaged in absorbing activities that cause them to forget themselves, lose track of time, and stop worrying.” In fact, they have coined the word "flow" to describe this phenomenon.

This phenomenon is described as “People in flow may be sewing up a storm, doing brain surgery, playing a musical instrument or working a hard puzzle with their child. The impact is the same: A life of many activities in flow is likely to be a life of great satisfaction …. And you don't have to be a hotshot to get there.”

University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin E. P. Seligman and author of the book Authentic Happiness have this to say, “Flow stretches someone but pleasurably so, not beyond his capacity. People feel best when doing what they do best."

Being financially independent means being free from money worries. Likewise, it means not having to depend on others for livelihood. It is having enough money in the bank that can support our lifestyle once we decide to retire. The act of saving and efficient management of our investments throughout our working lives will eventually bring us to happiness. For some this is the point where they will never have to work again.

Peace of mind is essential for one to be happy. Inner peace is reflected in the face. We become more relaxed and stress-free. Having peace of mind also means better over-all health. When we are healthy -- physically, mentally, and emotionally -- our relationships with the people around us tend to get better. The greater our over-all peace of mind, the more likely we will achieve happiness.

The trio of happiness: GRATITUDE, FORGIVENESS, and ALTRUISM.

Current trends show that more and more people engage in writing “Thank You Journals”. Psychologists explain that daily expressions of gratitude have a lot to do with life satisfaction. “Talking and writing about what they're grateful for amplifies adults' happiness,” they report.

We can try one simple activity with our journal. Select a blank page and write on the first line “My Strengths (Things that I am Thankful For)”. In the succeeding lines, write down as many positive things as we can think of about ourselves and about circumstances surrounding us. This activity need not be completed in one sitting. We should keep the list to read over and continue adding to it. The journal is one effective tool which keeps our focus on what is positive about ourselves, others, and life in general, instead of dwelling on the negative.

Another option is to keep a diary, which is a wonderful way to reminisce good times. More importantly, it is a reminder that bad times don't last. Some people include photos in their diaries and journals. Looking at happy times and old friends induces the feeling of joy.

Another trait strongly associated with happiness is forgiveness. It is associated with feelings of inner peace. University of Michigan psychologist Christopher Peterson says, "It's the queen of all virtues, and probably the hardest to come by."

Altruistic acts boost happiness in the giver. This need not come in the form of donating money. It can be as simple as volunteering our time, service, and skills for notable causes. There is joy in giving.

Ninth key to happiness: Happiness is enhanced by the feelings of love and appreciation!